Soundproof cover for an office machine



July 2, 1968 f. GASSINO 3,390,929

SOUNDPROOF COVER FOR AN OFFICE MACHINE Filed Marclh 51, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1N VEN TOR. TER ESIO GASSINO AGENT July-2,1968, 1'. GAsslNo 3,390,929

" SOUNDPROOF COVER FOR AN OFFICE MACHINE Filed March 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet C,

INvsNron. y TRESIU CASSINO United States Patent O 3,390,929 SOUNDPROOF COVER FOR AN OFFICE MACHINE Teresio Gassino, Ivrea, Italy, assignor to Ing. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A., Ivrea, Italy,a corporation of Italy Filed Mar. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 627,378 Claims priority, app8licat7iog6Italy, Apr. 7, 1966,

s claims. (c1. 312-208) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A soundproof cover for an oice machine comprises a base frame plate which is connected to a bottom plate of the soundproof cover through a predetermined number of connecting members, said bottom plate being supported upon at least one pair of elements each consisting of a transverse bar having feet thereon. The connecting members, the elements and the feet on the transverse bars are as groups disposed in vertically offset relation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a soundproof cover for an ofce machine having a base frame plate connected to a bottom plate of the cover through a predetermined number of supports.

In the known covers each yieldable foot of the machine is normally secured to the bottom plate of the cover and to the base plate of the machine by a same pin or screw. Consequently the noise originated by the movement of mechanical members is directly transmitted to the outside and particularly to the table supporting the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a left hand longitudinal sectional view of a soundproof cover according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the cover of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial transverse sectional view according to the line III- III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view of a detail of the cover taken according to the line lV-IV of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of another detail of the cover.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI- MENTS OF THE INVENTION With reference to the FIG. 1, the cover comprises a bottom plate -6 and a top shell 7. The shell 7 is inside provided with four projections 8, each one provided with a threaded hole. Two projections 8 are located on the fore side, the other two projections are located on the .rear side of the shell 7. The plate 6 and the shell 7 are connected by connecting mem-bers each one comprising a metallic spindle 9 and a ring 11 made with a yieldable material as rubber or the like. More particularly, a threaded portion of the spindle 9 is screwed in the hole of 3,390,929 Patented July 2, 1968 "ice each projection 8. The spindle 9 is inserted in the ring 11 in turn inserted in a hole 12 of the bottom plate 6. The spindle 9 is integral with a washer 13 located between the ring 11 and the projection 8.

Furthermore, the spindle 9 is provided with a frustoconical head 14 adapted to be engaged by a fork 16 (FIG. 5). This latter comprises a pair of ilexible arms `17 slidably mounted in two grooves 18 provided on a block 19, which is secured to the bottom plate 6 of the cover by means of a screw 21.

Each arm 17 is provided with a ring-shaped edge 22 adapted to engage the spindle 9. Furthermore, each arm 17 is provided with a triangular projection 23 normally bearing against the ilank of the corresponding groove 18, which holds the arm 17 slightly outwardly flexed. The fork 16 may be manually displaced leftward in FIG. 5 by acting with a finger on a lug 24 bent from the fork 16. The distance between the hole 12 (FIG. 2) and the block 19 is such as to cause the edges 22 to engage the spindle 9 when the projections 23 of the arms 17 leave the groove 18. In FIG. 2 the edges 22 of the ltwo rear forks 16 have already engaged the spindle 9, whereas those of two fore forks have not yet been engaged.

The machine frame comprises a base frame plate 26 (FIGS. 1 and 2), which bears against the bottom plate 6 of the cover through a predetermined number of connecting members each one generically indicated by the lnumeral 25. Each member 25 comprises a substantially hyperboloid-shaped rigid metallic roller 28, and a yieldable ring 31 made with a yieldable material as rubber or the like. The roller 28 is inserted into a spindle 27 screwed on a hole of the plate 26. The upper base of the roller 28 is larger than the lower base and bears against the lower surface of the base plate 26 through a washer 29. The roller 28 is in turn inserted into the ring 31, which is inserted into a hole 32 of the plate 6. Another washer 33 is located between the smaller base of the roller 28 and a nut 34.

Integral with the plate 6 are two pairs of supporting elements each one formed of a block 36 (FIG. 3) vertically offset with respect to the members 25. Each pair of blocks 36 is secured to a metallic bar 37 provided at the two ends with a conventional rubber foot 38, which is vertically offset with respect to the members 25 and to the blocks 36.

The plates `6 and 26 (FIG. 1) may be mutually connected as follows. The machine is firstly laid sidewise to screw the spindles 27 into the holes of the plate 26. Then the washer 29 and the hyperboloid-shaped roller 28 are inserted on each spindle 27. Then the cover -plate y6 is approached to the plate 26 and is forced so as to cause each roller 28 to enter the corresponding ring 31 provided in each hole 32.

Thereafter the washer 33 is located on each spindle 27 and by screwing the nut 34 on the spindle 27, the plates 6 and 26 are mutually connected and locked. Finally the machine is returned to the initial vertical position as in FIG. 1.

The shell 7 is provided on the front side with a rectangular opening 39 (FIG. 4) adapted to house a keyboard covering plate 41 (FIG. l). This latter is provided with a peripheral bent edge 42, which bears against four C-shaped cushion support members 43 (FIG. 4) made with rubber or like material. Two rearward members 43 are inserted on two projections 44 ofthe shell 7, and the two 4forward members 43 are inserted on the free end of two arms 46 screwed on the shell 7 to facilitate the assemblage of the keyboard covering plate 41, as it will be described hereinafter. Secured to the edge 42 is a cushion strip 47 made with rub-ber or like material, the shell 7 bearing against the strip 47. The edges 42 are also provided 3 with three slots 48, 49 and "51 engaged by three rollers 52 each one carried by a bent lug 54 'of a corresponding bracket S3 secured to the machine frame in a manner known per se.

To assemble the keyboard covering plate 41 with the shell 7, this latter is firstly overturned to unscrew the arms 46 therefrom. Then the upper portion of the edge 42 of the plate 41 is inserted between the projections 44 and the shell 7, with the slots 48, 49 and 51 entered by the corresponding rollers 52 so as to be always centered with respect to the frame of the machine. The arms 46 are finally screwed again on the shell 7, which is now returned to the vertical position shown in FG. l, ready to be assembled with the bottom plate as previously described. It is thus clar that the keyboard covering plate 4l and the shell 7 are mutually cushioned through the strip 47 and the support members 43, thus cooperating to render soundproof the cover.

It is intended that many changes, improvements and addition of parts may be made to the described cover,

without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. in a soundproof cover for an oflice machine having a base frame plate connected to a bottom plate of the cover through a predetermined number of connecting members, the improvement comprising at least 'one pair of support elements bearing said bottom plate, a transverse bar carrying said support elements, and a pair of yieldable feet secured to the two ends of said bar, said members, said elements and said feet being so arranged as to lie in different positions each one vertically offset with respect to the others.

2. A cover according to claim 1, wherein each one of said members comprises a yieldable ringisecured to a hole of one of said plates, and a substantially hyperboloid-shaped rigid element secured to the other plate and inserted in said ring.

3. A cover according to claim 1, comprising a top shell, and additional connecting members connecting said shell to said bottom plate, the rigid element of each one of said additional members being secured to said shell, a frustoconical head on each element of said additional members, and a yieldable fork movably mounted on said bottom plate for engaging said frustO-conical head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS .2,598,342 5/1952 BOyden 31?.-208 X 2,973,602 3/1961 Nessel :H2- 208 X 3,348,892 10/1967 Grassi 3l2-208 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

